We will have summer tourist season, promises EU

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This beach in France is shut, but beaches in north-western France are beginning to reopen

The European Union’s executive Commission has proposed a gradual lifting of borders in an attempt to kick-start a tourist industry hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our message is we will have a tourist season this summer,” said economic affairs commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, “even if it’s with security measures and limitations.”

Borders closed across the EU, including the border-free Schengen zone.

But states are starting to reopen them.

Austria and Germany have become the latest EU countries to agree to remove travel restrictions.

From Friday there will be random checks at border crossings and then on 15 June free movement should resume. “We want to make people’s everyday lives easier and take another step towards more normality,” said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

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Germany introduced border controls on several of its neighbours when the outbreak began

The scale of the crisis was illustrated by travel giant Tui announcing the loss of up to 8,000 jobs worldwide with plans to cut costs by 30%. The German government has given the company a €1.8bn (£1.6bn; $1.9bn) bridging loan to stay afloat.

Tui aims to reinvent holidays but 8,000 jobs to go

Fast on coronavirus, now they need to save summer

What is the EU planning?

The European Commission said its guidance was based on the principles of safety and non-discrimination. Tourism provided almost 10% of Europe’s economic output and millions of jobs across the 27 member states relied on it.

Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said no-one should travel if they felt sick or experienced symptoms. She said there were four areas vital to enable the safe return of travel and tourism – travel, borders, health and vouchers.

The non-binding plans involve countries working together to gradually remove travel bans and then border checks, while keeping targeted measures as the Covid-19 outbreak comes under control across the member states.

“Workers and travellers need to know that hotels, restaurants and beaches are safe,” said Ms Vestager. She added that the various contact-tracing apps being worked on by European countries to monitor the spread of Covid-19 would have to work across Europe.

Refunds or vouchers for cancelled trips?

One of the big questions for European consumers is what will happen if their trips are cancelled.

Ms Vestager accepted that, while travel companies faced a cash crunch, “European consumers have the right to a cash refund if that’s what they want”. She said the crunch would be less severe if consumers agreed to take vouchers, so recommendations would be made on how to make that option more attractive.

“Of course this isn’t going to be a normal summer but when we all work together… then we don’t have to face a completely lost summer,” she told reporters.

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We don’t get very far if businesses and airlines go out of business and yet lots are feeling intense strain

Mr Gentiloni said Italy’s tourist season had already been badly hit as the first half of main period from March to May had already been lost.

How are different states acting?

The EU is keen to get countries in the EU and the Schengen zone working together, as many are moving at a different pace in lifting their lockdowns.

Some countries have already imposed quarantine measures on travellers. From Friday, arrivals in Spain will have to go into quarantine for 14 days.

The UK, which has left the EU but still operates under its rules this year, plans to impose a 14-day quarantine on arrivals by air. However, it has agreed bilateral travel arrangements with France and Ireland that mean there would be no quarantine involved. Beaches in France’s north-western Brittany region began reopening to visitors on Wednesday but under tight restrictions.

Arrivals from France to escape UK quarantine

England’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, said on Tuesday that “big, lavish international holidays” this year were unlikely this year, although some hospitality could resume from July.

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Media captionMatt Hancock: “Unlikely that big, lavish international holidays are going to possible for this summer”

A “Baltic bubble” is set to come into operation on Friday, enabling travel by rail, sea and air across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, but with a quarantine initially in place for travellers from other states.

Another Baltic Foreign Ministers meeting, sorting out last details of Memorandum of Understanding for common Baltic travel space or Baltic bubble. It will open our borders for travel of out citizens and help our economies. We will sign it in Riga on Friday 🇱🇻 🇪🇪 🇱🇹 pic.twitter.com/3Utl057Ria